Love everything you're describing! And I'm having almost the exact same dilemma as you.

I"m going with SW origami white everywhere, but want one room with punch like SW Peppercorn or Sea serpent , but am kind of nervous about actually doing it!

I love your blue wall inspiration picture and since your dining room will mostly be used at night, go dark. It will look stunning during day and night, and it'll make you smile every time you walk by it.

My DR is BM Abyss - very dark blue - love it. Surrounding rooms are all light colors. Absolutely everyone loves the dark blue DR. Go for the dark

Don’t overthink this. Go with your gut, it sounds like you’d really like to take a chance on the blue. This shouldn’t be keeping you up at night. It’s only PAINT. Live with it & if you regret your decision down the line have it repainted.

What windows or natural lighting will be in the dining room?

Hi!

Beautiful house!

You could always do an accent wall and paint the rest white.

Here´s some inspiration for you;

Contemporary Dining Room · More Info

Blue panelling...

Dining Room · More Info

A Mid-Century Modern Apartment Makeover · More Info

Thanks, everybody! I am leaning towards the blue. I don't generally take huge risks in my own personal style, which is why this decision has been so difficult.

kmarissa03, there is one window with a transom. It's a big window, but the fact that it's facing east means there won't be a whole lot of natural light, especially in the evenings when we'll be entertaining guests. I will be relying on the chandelier for light, and I think it will cast aplenty.

jck910, so glad to hear you're happy with your dark blue! Did you do anything to balance out the color or brighten up your dining room?

K Laurence, you are absolutely right, and that's what I keep telling myself. Paint is the easiest, most inexpensive thing to replace, so I'm glad to know I don't have to live with it forever if it doesn't look right in my space.

Luscious111, those colors are gorgeous and so beautifully rich! I'd love to see what you decide!

Meredith, I think going with the blue is a great idea. As others pointed out, you can always repaint if you don’t like it. We went with a similar very dark blue in our north/west facing living room, and it is a bit dark, especially on overcast days, but we’re just leaning into the cozy and intimate feeling.

If you haven’t already, you may want to think especially carefully about additional lighting to layer into the room, like sconces and lamps. I am pretty much as un-expert as you can get but good lighting seems to be key in making a darker room cozy instead of drab.

Comparing the two inspiration photos you posted. I think it matters on how you’re going to use the room. If you’re planning on having dinner parties, and you want it to feel dramatic and moody, then a darker color is good. That said I think you’re going to be fine with the light walls in rooms all around it as long as you bring dark accents into the surrounding areas, otherwise it’s going to be kind of jarring to walk from one space to another without some linking elements. In my opinion the other photo with the lighter, happier colors is very pretty but looks more like a breakfast room or a dining room where you’d have more frilly types of events like brunches and daytime things...those colors won’t look as good at night...but that’s just my opinion:)) If you want to try a good dark blue, look at Benjamin Moore Hale Navy.

Very nice house. Love the dark blue. It will look great in there.

Nest Obsessed, thank you so much for that wonderful suggestion. That's one of those things I would not notice about good design, but it makes all the difference.

kmarissa03, thanks for the suggestion about lighting. I will definitely add some lamps.

Very nice.